5 ms·

As a resident of Phoenix, I can see this working 9 months out of the year. But, June can reach 120f, and I’m cursing just by the time I walk from the grocery s

by jmpman 7y ago

As a resident of Phoenix, I can see this working 9 months out of the year. But, June can reach 120f, and I’m cursing just by the time I walk from the grocery story through the parking lot to my car. July and August have random monsoons which aren’t navigable on scooter or bike. If you added golf cart paths, the community becomes much more attractive. I’d take a golf cart 1/4 mile to an air conditioned bus stop/ride share stand. Notice that this arrangement is quite unlivable for people with babies. Walking a child in a stroller 1/4 mile in 120f, to meet a ride share.... with what car seat? It would take any affluent new parents just a month before they nope’d out of that.

chrisseaton 7y ago
Why are people living there if they can't even step outside an air-conditioned environment for two minutes? Might as well be living on the moon in a pod at that point.
- learc83 7y ago
  Because that's only a few months out of the year, and even during that time it's better at night. Also people live in cities up north that are much closer to living on the moon in a pod during the winter months. People live near jobs, family, housing and community regardless of how pleasant the weather is.
- nkrisc 7y ago
  Because we have technology to make it tolerable.
- mattmar96 7y ago
  As someone who used to live in the Phoenix climate, and now lives in one of the furthest north cities in the US: The middle of winter here is much more 'moon-like' than the middle of summer ever was in Phoenix. I basically have to don a space suit to go out in below 0 weather!
  - nkrisc 7y ago
    Well the highest temperatures in Tempe in the summer are closer to the highest temperatures on the lunar surface during the lunar day than the lowest temperatures in the Northern US winters are to the lowest temperatures on the lunar surface during the lunar night. So depending on how you slice it, Tempe might in fact be more moon-like.
- tehwebguy 7y ago
  Some people like hot weather, real estate is often cheaper where the weather sucks
- ghaff 7y ago
  Because it's actually a pretty nice climate for a lot of the year and it doesn't get snow. And I'm not sure the hot Phoenix summers are really much worse (if any worse) than the humid southeast. When I lived in New Orleans my recollection was that a lot of short walk from AC to AC went on, especially during the day, as well. And obviously people can adapt (although the native peoples tended to be at higher altitudes in the summer). There are also construction techniques that mitigate the heat to some degree--but you're not going to see those in use at the local big box store.
  - eesmith 7y ago
    I was born and raised in Miami, in a house with no A/C. But the house was also built in the 1950s before A/C was commonplace. You mention "the native peoples" (though I think you don't mean that as the indigenous people who lived there, but rather the more recent immigrants who have been established there for decades)? I know that I got used to the heat. And now when I visit, I find I have lost that ability. I think one of the long-term failures in US construction has been 60+ years of eschewing vernacular architecture in favor of nation-wide standard building styles, and trusting in cheap power to work around any problems. It's clearly possible to live in New Orleans w/o A/C, as that's what people did for centuries. The buildings can be designed to help with the heat, with high ceilings and ways to improve airflow. The culture can change to avoid being active in the middle of the hottest days (think 'siesta'). Even simple things help, like not walking fast, and wearing thin cotton clothing. There's a different set of techniques for living in the desert SW. Thick adobe is the traditional method to delay heat transfer so the day's heat doesn't reach the inside until the cooler nights. Open the windows in the morning to cool the house, then shut them for the rest of the day. However adobe specifically is more expensive than stick and frame construction methods, and requires more maintenance than slapping on a bunch of insulation and installing a big-ass A/C. There are other approaches than adobe - I'm have only rudimentary knowledge of the topic though, mostly a grab-bag from living in New Mexico for 7 or so years.
    - ghaff 7y ago
      No I actually did mean indigenous peoples who often moved seasonally. But you're right. Especially for a dry climate like the Southwest, there are a lot of construction/architectural techniques--especially for standalone dwellings--that can go a long way towards eliminating/reducing the need for A/C. In general, climate control is also just more of an expectation these days for many people. I live in an old farmhouse in central Mass where you get maybe a couple of really hot spells over the course of a summer. And additional fairly hot/humid days. I have a small window unit I sometimes put in but a lot of people almost can't believe I don't have whole house A/C which I would consider largely unnecessary.
- ajcodez 7y ago
  I lived in Montreal for three years and for at least eight weeks of the year the air outside was so cold that it hurt my face and made my eyes tear up. It is also a beautiful city and was a great period in my life.
areyousure 7y ago
> June can reach 120f In case anyone was curious, the temperature in Phoenix has reached 120F on three days in recorded history: June 25--26, 1990 and July 28, 1995.

by jmpman 7y ago

chrisseaton 7y ago

Why are people living there if they can't even step outside an air-conditioned environment for two minutes? Might as well be living on the moon in a pod at that point.

learc83 7y ago
Because that's only a few months out of the year, and even during that time it's better at night. Also people live in cities up north that are much closer to living on the moon in a pod during the winter months. People live near jobs, family, housing and community regardless of how pleasant the weather is.
nkrisc 7y ago
Because we have technology to make it tolerable.
mattmar96 7y ago
As someone who used to live in the Phoenix climate, and now lives in one of the furthest north cities in the US: The middle of winter here is much more 'moon-like' than the middle of summer ever was in Phoenix. I basically have to don a space suit to go out in below 0 weather!
- nkrisc 7y ago
  Well the highest temperatures in Tempe in the summer are closer to the highest temperatures on the lunar surface during the lunar day than the lowest temperatures in the Northern US winters are to the lowest temperatures on the lunar surface during the lunar night. So depending on how you slice it, Tempe might in fact be more moon-like.
tehwebguy 7y ago
Some people like hot weather, real estate is often cheaper where the weather sucks
ghaff 7y ago
Because it's actually a pretty nice climate for a lot of the year and it doesn't get snow. And I'm not sure the hot Phoenix summers are really much worse (if any worse) than the humid southeast. When I lived in New Orleans my recollection was that a lot of short walk from AC to AC went on, especially during the day, as well. And obviously people can adapt (although the native peoples tended to be at higher altitudes in the summer). There are also construction techniques that mitigate the heat to some degree--but you're not going to see those in use at the local big box store.
- eesmith 7y ago
  I was born and raised in Miami, in a house with no A/C. But the house was also built in the 1950s before A/C was commonplace. You mention "the native peoples" (though I think you don't mean that as the indigenous people who lived there, but rather the more recent immigrants who have been established there for decades)? I know that I got used to the heat. And now when I visit, I find I have lost that ability. I think one of the long-term failures in US construction has been 60+ years of eschewing vernacular architecture in favor of nation-wide standard building styles, and trusting in cheap power to work around any problems. It's clearly possible to live in New Orleans w/o A/C, as that's what people did for centuries. The buildings can be designed to help with the heat, with high ceilings and ways to improve airflow. The culture can change to avoid being active in the middle of the hottest days (think 'siesta'). Even simple things help, like not walking fast, and wearing thin cotton clothing. There's a different set of techniques for living in the desert SW. Thick adobe is the traditional method to delay heat transfer so the day's heat doesn't reach the inside until the cooler nights. Open the windows in the morning to cool the house, then shut them for the rest of the day. However adobe specifically is more expensive than stick and frame construction methods, and requires more maintenance than slapping on a bunch of insulation and installing a big-ass A/C. There are other approaches than adobe - I'm have only rudimentary knowledge of the topic though, mostly a grab-bag from living in New Mexico for 7 or so years.
  - ghaff 7y ago
    No I actually did mean indigenous peoples who often moved seasonally. But you're right. Especially for a dry climate like the Southwest, there are a lot of construction/architectural techniques--especially for standalone dwellings--that can go a long way towards eliminating/reducing the need for A/C. In general, climate control is also just more of an expectation these days for many people. I live in an old farmhouse in central Mass where you get maybe a couple of really hot spells over the course of a summer. And additional fairly hot/humid days. I have a small window unit I sometimes put in but a lot of people almost can't believe I don't have whole house A/C which I would consider largely unnecessary.
ajcodez 7y ago
I lived in Montreal for three years and for at least eight weeks of the year the air outside was so cold that it hurt my face and made my eyes tear up. It is also a beautiful city and was a great period in my life.

areyousure 7y ago

> June can reach 120f In case anyone was curious, the temperature in Phoenix has reached 120F on three days in recorded history: June 25--26, 1990 and July 28, 1995.